Improvement in dies for cupping and raising articles of metal



SAMUEL It. WTI'LMOT, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN DIES FOR CUPPING AND RAISING ARTICLES 0F METAL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0.`55,9411, dated June 26,1866. n

To all whom it may concern:

De it known that I, SAMUEL R. WILMoT, of Bridgeport, in the county ofFairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Dies for Cupping or Raising Articles of Metal 5 and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference bein g had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aplan or top view. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section, showing theposition of the dies at the commencement of the operation of cupping orraising the article to be made. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section,showing the position of the same when such cupping or raising` iscompleted. Fig. 4 is a detached view, showing the manner in which theblank-holder is secured to the base or bed plate of the apparatus.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention is designed for making lampbodies and similar articles ofa cup or invertedcup shape from disks or blanks of sheet metal.

.lt consists in the attachment of a blankholder, which holds the disk orblank-in position duriu g the cupping or raising operation, directly tothe bed-plate or fixed die ofthe press, whereby all trouble is avoidedby the springing of the press in producing heavy pressure.

To enable others to understand the construction andoperation ot' myinvention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

A is the base or bed-plate of the apparatus in which the female die isformed and B is the blank-holder, which is secured upon the saidbed-plate by means of hooks c, formed upon the upper surface of thebed-plate and catching over inclined lugs or ears b projecting laterallyfrom the blank-holder, as will be presently more fully explained.

Formed in the center of thel bed-plate A is a large vertical cylindricalhole, c, which forms a portion of the. female die, While immediately1over it, in the blank-holder B, is a vertical hole, d, of correspondingsize and shape.

C is the male die, the lower end of which is rounded orconvex tocorrespond with the interior of the article to be made, and which issecured upon the lower end of a suitable plunger or equivalent device,and receives an up-anddown movement in the large cylindrical holes inthe bed-plate and blank-holder through the agency of a` screw orhydraulic press, or by any suitable means, the said holes being ofgreater diameter than the moving male die C by at least twice thethickness of the blank.

Formed in the upper surface of the bedplate A, around the upper end ofthe hole a, is an annular rabbet, e, in which are placed the edges ofthe circular disk or blank j', as shown in red lines in Fig. 2, thecentral portion of the blank being thus placed over the said hole a.

Around the lower portion of the holder is an annular rim, g, which restsupon the upper surface of the bed-plate, while projecting downward fromthe bottom of the said holder into the rabbet e is an annular shoulder,h, there being a space, e', between the lower surface of the saidshoulder h and the horizontal surface of the rabbet e. This space esomewhat exceeds the thickness of the blank, and receives the circularedge of the blank when placed in the rabbet, as just set forth, and asmore clearly representedin Fig. 2.

Projecting laterally from the sides or'edges of the rim g, at suitablepoints thereon, are strong lugs or ears b, which are somewhat thinner attheir straight or forward edges than at their rearmost portions, or, inother words, have their upper surfaces inclined, so that when they areforced underneath the hooks a, formed solidly upon the bed-plate, ashereinbefore mentioned, they will force the blankholder rmly down uponthe bed-plate and securely hold it in place during the operation of theapparatus, the lugs being brought under or away from the hooks a byturning the blankholder around in one direction or the other, accordingas it is desired to lock it fast upon the bed-plate or remove ittherefrom. The blank f being placed in the dies with its edges in thespace e between the horizontal surface of the rabbet e and the underside of the shoulder h, as represented in Fig. 2, and as hereinbeforefully explained, a downward movement is communicated to the moving die Cby means of a screw, a hydraulic press, a drop or other suitable means,on which the male die C forces the central portion of the blank downwardinto the hole c, the cylindrical sides of the said hole at the upper endthereof forcing' the outer portions of the blank into close contact withthe die C as it descends, and thus causing the said blank to begradually fitted upon the same, as shown in red lines in Fig. 3, theedges of the blank being drawn inward equally on all sides from thespace i between the holder and the bed-plate or female die until theblank is closely litted upon the said die, and thus shaped into thearticle desired. The vertical Width ofthe space c' being arbitrary andfixed, and somewhat greater than the thickness of the blank, allows theedge ofthe said blank to pass out therefrom with compara-tive ease atthe same time that it pre- Vents the said edge from buckling or beingdrawn out unequally at opposite sides of the die C, the increasedvertical Width of the said space c also allowing the metal to increasein thickness as it is forced in upon itself in being compressed aroundthe sides of the said male die C, which takes placein a greatlyincreased degree when the articles to be cupped or raised are of largesize. By this means the binding of the blank between the holder and thefixed die is entirely avoided, while the holder, being attached directlyto the bedplate of the apparatus, is not liable to be disarranged in anyway by the springing or giving way of the press in exerting the powerfulpressure required in Working the dies, as just set forth.

What l claim as my invention, and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent,is-

The attachment of the blank-holder B directly to the bed-plate or fixeddie A, substantially as herein set forth, for the purpose specified.

S. R. WILMOT.

Witnesses:

D. W. KrssAM, H. DWIGHT STANLEY.

